The Craft
by zati shal
Summary: What if Petunia's hardened heart was softened at the sight of her orphaned nephew. Follow the Dursley Family as they work toward a better future both for the wizarding world and each other.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and will never make money off of this writing.**

 **AN: Hello out there to all my readers. It has been quite some time since I last wrote but I have a new story for you all and should be returning to my other stories soon, Son of The Doctor is the next one slated for an update some time next week followed shortly by a reboot on Inheritance. Thanks given to my lovely Beta who doesn't have an account on this site but goes by Bhakti.**

 **I am a novice practicing wicca and am kind of using this story as a Book for myself. obviously some things will be adjusted to fit in universe.**

Chapter one: A New Resolve

Petunia Dursley prided herself on being entirely normal thank you very much. She lived in a quiet neighborhood just outside of london where her husband of five years worked as a sales consultant for Grunnings Drill company. She had a nice little boy who, while they may dote on a little too much was perfectly normal as well. At least this was the image the Dursley family and Petunia tried to portray but deep down the blond woman knew she was not normal. She may not have had active magic like her sister but she was no less magical. When they where young girls Petunia had noticed the odd occurrences around Lilly and recognized them as some form of magic and helped her sister research her gifts. Their parents being fairly progressive themselves encouraged this as well and the family had come across wicca in their research and they all agreed that it was the closest explanation to what they had discovered. When Severus Snape, a young boy a few doors down that was Lilly's age had confirmed that she was indeed a witch, him being a wizard from his mother's side, the whole family supported Lilly and began to practice the Old Religion.

For a while the family was all at peace and in harmony together. But then when Lily turned Eleven and received her Hogwarts letter and Petunia hadn't she had become extremely jealous. While the active magic users of the United Kingdom humored most squibs who practiced the Old Religion and marginally accepted that they may have some magic any muggle who practiced the Old Religion was simply laughed out. Muggles were beneath them entirely in most purebloods view. It had hurt, a lot and Petunia resented her sister for having active magic.

She began to shun that part of herself and ignored the traditions they had built in their family, preferring to live a Normal life. Now, with baby Harry sitting in front of her in the carrier with Dudley, her sister and parents dead and unable to make amends she knew she couldn't do wrong by the innocent child. She had to honor her sister in some way even if it meant setting aside old grudges. To an Evans family is everything.

Vernon would never accept it though. He was too entrenched in their normal lifestyle but she would try to make it work at first, if only for Dudley's sake.

"I won't have it in my house Pet, it isn't natural!" Vernon ranted looking at Harry with a fear and distrust she had seen in her own eyes for years after Lily had started Hogwarts.

"Careful Vernon Dursley that is my nephew and sister you are talking about there." Petunia suddenly bit out. "No matter our differences she was my sister and he is my nephew and I won't have you speak ill of them."

Vernon was stunned, Petunia rarely if ever spoke against him. "But Pet you said yourself-"

"I know what I said Vernon!" she snapped, the reality that she was the last of her family left starting to dawn on her. She paused for a brief moment to try and catch her breath and calm her thoughts to no avail. "She was my sister damn it and I let" sobs started to rock her body and her speech came out stilted and stuttering, "I let my jealous heart cloud my mind for years and now there is no chance for us to reconcile our differences. My sister sacrificed herself to protect this boy and I will not dishonor that by having my own husband deny him a place to live amongst the only family he has left!" Her voice became strong and defiant in the end staring her husband in the eyes daring him to challenge her.

Vernon nodded silently realizing his wife needed time to grieve the loss of her sister. If Marge died and they were on the outs he sure wouldn't know how to react either. "Right sorry Pet," he said then looked at her sternly "he can stay, but he won't be more important than our son. Dudley always comes first."

Petunia sighed, it was more than she had hoped for with Vernon but she would work slow to try and warm the man's heart to the point she could introduce the whole family to The Arts. For now she would begin to practice again in secret and build on the energies Dumbledore had lain around the house. Even as out of practice as she was, the power of the wards the old man had placed around the house meant she could feel them very clearly. Protection based in love, through Harry to her and her family. "Thank you Vernon. Don't worry Dudley will always come first" even saying that felt wrong to her but if it kept the peace she would treat them equal in secret for now. Hopefully Vernon's heart will have thawed by the time the boys were old enough to notice a difference. "I'll go out today while you are at work and get Harry a crib and some clothes from the thrift shop. We don't want people saying we are neglectful of our new ward do we" she said when she noticed Vernon about to protest. "I'll set him a separate nursery in the room across from Dudley's. I know that was to be Dudley's play room but things change. We will make the downstairs bedroom into a playroom in the future."

Again Vernon nodded, "alright I see your point Pet, we can't have the neighbors thinking ill of us if we were to mistreat the boy and someone noticed. But if any of that..freakishness affects our son Pet I swear!" he said as he stood and pecked her on the forehead and picked his keys off the counter and headed out to work.

Petunia looking at both boys said, "by the Goddess let the man be more accepting in time. Things are going to change around here and hopefully for the better." Harry and Dudley both had fallen asleep during the conversation with Vernon, and Petunia was content to let them as she processed the change in her family. Leaving a baby monitor on the table and the other end attached to her hip she went up to the attic and found the dusty old steamer she had placed up there years ago. Caressing the lily and petunia flowers embossed into the leather before opening it. Scattered inside were pictures of her and Lily as little girls, books, some from Lily's Hogwarts days others from the hours of research she had done to help her sister come to terms with her powers and two leather bound journals, one with a Petunia flower and the other with a rose.

She sat there pouring over the old photos and texts for what felt like hours, lost in memory and thought. She came to a few decisions as she sat there in that dusty attic. She would no longer deny her past as a wicca and she would take up the charge again and teach the children to do the same. Decision made she stood and repacked the trunk and hefted the thing down stairs and put it under her and Vernons bed. She didn't have to worry much about him discovering it just yet as he rarely if ever did the cleaning.

For the rest of the day Petunia ran errands around town, going to the thrift store and purchasing clothes and other materials that she would need for baby Harry. She knew that it would be difficult to take on both boys, even if Vernon got the promotion to sales director he had been eyeing so she decided she would start selling Craft items from home and picked up supplies to make candles as a start.

It would take time to adjust but she would not let her family down again.


End file.
